The vast acreage and many distinct sections of Shasta Lake make it an ideal place to water-ski and wakeboard—even on crowded weekends, chances are good that you’ll find someplace to ski. Just be sure to abide by the speed limit buoys surrounding the marinas and the “No Ski” buoys that warn of shallow water or other hazardous conditions.

If you’ve got your own tow boat, you can put it in at any number of public launches and rent a slip from one of the marinas. For renters, again, most of the marinas around the lake rent both speedboats and personal watercraft.

You’ll find a wide selection—everything from championship-quality late-model tow boats with towers for wakeboarders to older, open-bow speedboats that are perfect for cruising the lake with your family. Personal watercraft are mostly WaveRunners, with the occasional Sea-Doo for variety. (If you can get a Sea-Doo, do. They’re better machines.) Prices run about $70–120 per hour, with good half-day, full-day, and full-week rates available at most marinas.

Do be aware that no matter what marina you work with, these are high-performance rental boats, and problems sometimes crop up. The good news is that no matter where you rented, you can bring a busted boat into any nearby marina and they’ll help take care of it for you.

Usually you’ll need to rent your skis, boards, and other toys for a minimal extra fee. You can get double and slalom skis, wakeboards of different brands and sizes, purpose-built ski tubes, and even ridiculous “ski bananas” and other five- and six-seat towable toys that will definitely get you noticed all over the lake.